Healthy employees make for better working environments. Investing in the health of your staff will be worth every penny. Not only will it benefit them, but it’ll benefit your health business as well. A good health investment means that you’ll prioritize opportunities for your staff to stay healthy or take time off when they are not. Healthy staff are more present, they are more focused, and they feel more productive when they are working.
Generous Leave Policies
Don’t penalize or threaten staff who use their leave for sickness for them or their family members. If they have the time off available and choose to use it, it’s important to give employees the freedom to choose when to do that. Some employers make staff feel bad for taking time off. This can lead to a culture where staff members come in sick more frequently, exposing not only other employees, but clients, customers, and patients as well. A generous leave policy is a great way to invest in the health of your staff but to also maintain a healthy work environment.
Gym Memberships or Discounts
Gym memberships cost money. Many employees don’t want to purchase them because they are an added expense. Why not offer a gym membership or discount as a benefit? If you don’t have a gym at your facility, perhaps you could offer a discount to a local gym or several different local gyms. A gym membership gives people a place where they can go to exercise either before or after work so they can take care of their physical health. As their physical health improves, they are less prone to sickness and injury.
Affordable Health Plans
Employer health plans are a hot topic. What do you offer? How much do you pay? What do you require your staff to pay? By covering as much of the premium as possible, your employees will be more likely to purchase and use their health insurance plan. When they get sick, they won’t need to stress about how they will pay for it. Affordable health plans are one of the most powerful benefits employers can offer their staff. Add on a CareCard prescription-saving account and you’ll impact their whole family.
Encourage Remote Work
For those people who can work from home, it’s important to encourage remote work. This is especially true if someone is sick or coming down with something. If we’ve learned anything during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s that people need a break when they are sick. And if someone feels okay, wants to work, but is starting to get sick, it’s best not to let them into the office. By offering remote work for those staff who can do it, you’ll be creating a healthier work environment for those who need to be on site.
Offer Set Schedules
Nothing is worse at work than not knowing what your schedule will be. A set schedule or rotating schedule helps people plan their lives. This boosts productivity and also helps people have better mental health. They can arrange appointments, childcare, and fun things in their life. They can come to work with certainty knowing how many hours they’ll be working. This gives them confidence both in their work, and in their future with your business. Helping them create a schedule that is mutually beneficial gives them a say and that creates better health overall.
Don’t Downplay Mental Health
Healthcare work is stressful. People in high-stress health positions need others around them who’ll listen to their concerns and take them seriously. They need leaders and employers who won’t work them to the bone, but who will respect their need to process complex emotions around the work they do. Mental health is a critical part of a person’s overall health. Invest in your employees’ mental health. Give them space to process grief after a tragedy. Give them the opportunity to take time off. Give them access to mental health workers.
Focusing on health benefits for workers in healthcare is vital. With so many ways to invest in the health of your staff it can feel difficult to choose the right benefits. If your approach is to look at the whole person and what that person needs to improve or maintain their health, you’ll get a better idea of the things you need to do.
The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.
